The present invention relates to a gas supply device.
The invention relates more specifically to a gas supply device comprising a frame housing a set of pressurized-fluid cylinders linked to a fluid circuit for filling and emptying the cylinders, the support frame comprising a lower base on which the cylinders rest vertically and a set of uprights and cross beams forming a cage with an overall parallelepiped shape to provide lateral support for the cylinders arranged in several contiguous rows.
The invention relates specifically to gas supply devices sometimes referred to as “frames”.
Such a device is described for example in documents DE20103682U1, GB2007348 A1 and DE102011014065 A1.
Such devices usually use a group of cylinders storing gas at high pressure, for example 200 or 300 bar or above.
These devices are subject to various, often conflicting constraints, for example: a structure that is ergonomic and as small as possible, while still providing adequate protection for the cylinders against impact. The structure must in particular be able to carry the weight of the set of cylinders when lifting by sling or crane. During such lifting operations, the frame is subject to tensile stress generated between the upper anchoring points (lifting eyes on top four corners or central eye) and the base of the frame on which the cylinders rest.
Consequently, the structure of these frames has to be relatively rigid.
This rigidity of the frame requires the cylinders and the frame chassis to be relatively robust in order to absorb the energy transmitted by the frame if the unit is dropped. Indeed, certain parts of the device breaking may result in relatively serious accidents.